Saturday, June 25, 2016

June 24th

A day of surprises! We woke to a clear blue morning after enjoying a great campsite on
Kyabra Creek which runs through ‘Kyabra’ Station. There were many small birds
about, including a flock of cockatiels. They are a small dark grey bird which belong
to the cockatoo/parrot family. Wild flowers are beginning to appear on the
roadside..yellow goodenias, mauve fan flowers, pink morning glory, yellow
cassia and a beautiful pink parakeelya.

The road was
bitumen, with only a short distance of unsealed surface. There is still a lot
of water about. Coming into Windora we had to cross Coopers Creek. We drove
through 3 expanses of water about 450 to 500 metres in length and through 2
shorter sections. I am never very confident when driving through flooded roads.
Crossing the main bridge over the Cooper was incredible. There seemed to be so
much water travelling very swiftly. All I could think of was THE POWER OF WATER
and hope we could keep between the guide posts.

After asking
about road conditions in Windora we soon realised we would have to re-route as
the westerly roads were all closed. We headed off to Winton but as we turned
north a few kilometres before Yunter there was the dreaded sign of ROAD CLOSED.
Yes, we had been given the incorrect directions…Another change. We have to
re-route to Longreach to escape Closed Roads. The road to Longreach is bitumen.
Along this road about 40 km toward Longreach we have camped at the Swan Vale
Rest Area. It is a really lovely spot with a great view over the surrounding
country.

It has been
frustrating having to change our plans so often but we are having a new
experience. John and I have visited many of these places before but always
during drought periods when everything is dry and there is no water to be seen
and so much red dust which goes through the vehicle. This time the opposite conditions are prevailing ..wet weather, boggy roads and floods. I think these are the conditions that make outback Australia so challenging to live in. Towns and stations become isolated for weeks at a time. It would be necessary to keep a large supply of food in the pantry all the time.